The Kindle's first lit screen shows versatility, but also spots and many ads.

The Kindle, Amazon’s E Ink reader, will turn five years old in November. In the course of half a decade, the slab-shaped device captured the imagination (and dollars) of many book readers. Amazon has iterated on the Kindle’s design and function several times, adding keyboards, removing keyboards, sharpening the resolutions, and adding touchscreens. Amazon even went so far as to spin off the E Ink Kindle into a new line of LCD tablets, the Kindle Fire.

The focused interface and E Ink display of the Kindle has pleased many book lovers because it mimics the non-reflective quality of paper. But in the past, users complained that the Kindle doesn’t hold up to reading in dark rooms or indoors. Enter the Kindle Paperwhite—Amazon’s latest version of its E Ink line of Kindles. It comes with a lit screen, and we got our hands on it to see how it fares.

Things are pretty different in 2012 compared to the Kindle's introduction. More people are used to reading electronic books, and the tablet is becoming more of a home appliance than a novelty or luxury item. The availability of Android tablets, Kindle Fires, and iPads makes the decision to buy an e-reader more challenging. If an E Ink e-reader’s price is in the vicinity of a tablet’s, which gadget is the better buy? A Google Nexus 7 starts at $199, and a Kindle Fire costs $159. Compare those to the base price for a Kindle Paperwhite: $119. We evaluated the Paperwhite to test out some significant new features and see if it offers the most bang for your buck in a marketplace full of tablets looking to devour the Kindle.

Size, look, and feel

The e-readers Ars Technica readers use

Earlier this month, we asked Ars readers what e-readers they use. Here's how they responded.
At first glance, the Kindle Paperwhite resembles the Kindle Touch, an earlier iteration of the Kindle that has been discontinued from Amazon’s store. Amazon introduced the Touch in 2011, and the Paperwhite seems cut from the same cloth. The Paperwhite measures 6.7" x 4.6" x 0.36", and it weighs 7.5 oz (7.8 oz for the Wi-Fi and the 3G models, respectively). In terms of dimensions and weight, it is nearly identical to the Touch. The device comes in plain black, replacing the dark grey of the Touch and other E Ink models.

Enlarge/ The Kindle Paperwhite and a second-generation Kindle, side by side.

Cesar Torres

Amazon removed the poorly designed touch button from the device, and the front of the Kindle remains a sleek surface of black plastic. Three of the edges around the screen are completely smooth, and the bottom edge now features only a port for the USB charger, a battery indicator light, and the power button. The sliding button of earlier Kindle models is now gone. Instead, you now have to click down on it in order to prompt the screen to wake. Even after it wakes, you still have to swipe once to fully turn on the device. We wonder if this decision is a way to prevent the device from draining battery if a user bumps into the button by accident, or if leaving the ads up on the screen longer prompts users to buy more stuff from Amazon.

Picking up the new Kindle Paperwhite is simply a charm. Because Amazon has reduced the dimensions of the device to that of a paperback book, it’s easy to pick it up with one or two hands. In fact, using one hand is amazingly easy. I have large hands and was able to cradle the whole unit in my palm without having to stretch my fingers. Users with smaller hands may not have this luxury, but at 4.6 inches across, it will probably work for many.

The plastic on the front of the Kindle Paperwhite is a smooth, matte black, and the back of the device is covered in a rubberized plastic, also black. The back of previous versions of the Kindle were metal, and though we didn’t particularly feel it impacted the reading experience, the grip and feel of the Paperwhite lets it rest securely in your hand and acts as a deterrent to the occasional slip.

Hardware and specs

The Kindle Paperwhite is available in two options for connectivity: a Wi-Fi Model ($119) and a 3G model ($179). The device supports two-point multitouch (as compared to 10-point multi-touch on the Kindle Fire). Both models come with 2GB of internal memory.

The Wi-Fi model provides adequate connectivity for most users who simply want to download books, magazines, and newspaper subscriptions. The 3G option continues to be a great choice for users who travel a lot, since they can reach the Amazon store while out and about in more than 100 countries. The Kindle Paperwhite also features the experimental browser feature, which lets users connect to the Web. It’s decent for Internet browsing in a pinch, but it’s not going to win any awards in usability, due to the device’s performance and its virtual keyboard (which we’ll cover later on).

Enlarge/ The Kindle Paperwhite still has an "experimental" Web browser.

The battery was given a performance boost from previous models. Amazon says a single charge can last up to eight weeks, based on usage of 30 minutes per day with wireless off and with the light brightness setting at level 10. The battery held up well in our tests, both with wireless on and off. However, we noticed that the new Paperwhite’s built-in light feature really took a toll on battery life.

Unless you are constantly checking subscriptions or spending most of your time shopping instead of reading, using the device with Wi-Fi turned off will make the battery last significantly longer. However, users who enjoy the sync-to-last-page feature across other mobile devices or computers will want to keep the wireless option on at least some of the time.

The longer battery life apparently led Amazon to get rid of the wall-outlet charger that used to be included with the Kindle. The Paperwhite now comes with a single USB cable, which means you can't plug the device into a wall outlet if you're traveling or away from a computer. If you rely on your Kindle while on the road, you’re going to have to make sure you have a laptop port or a USB wall adapter handy. This change is a major inconvenience, but Amazon seems to be sending a clear message: we believe our device's battery life is good enough that you can travel often without having to worry about charging it. Whether that turns out to be true or not will depend on what kind of traveling you do, and what devices you carry with you. If you read a lot of books on a Kindle, you may not be able to afford leaving your charger cable behind.

Cesar Torres
Cesar is the Social Editor at Ars Technica. His areas of expertise are in online communities, human-computer interaction, usability, and e-reader technology. Cesar lives in New York City. Emailcesar.torres@arstechnica.com//Twitter@Urraca

Most people seem to be offended about having to purchase a device which then also constantly shows them ads. If they got the Kindle for free, then they wouldn't have much room to complain about it.

Amazon sells the Kindle at a discount in exchange for showing those ads. It was clearer in the previous model where you could by the full price version or an ad supported version for $25 less.

It doesn't "constantly" show ads. They are only on the "wake" screen and on the home screen. Pretty easy to ignore, though a lot of owners report that they like the discounts in the ads.

The ads are overly hyped by most bloggers even though it's barely noticeable after the first few times. That's probably part of the reason why Amazon added the swipe to unlock, to force people to actually notice their ads LOL.

If I am holding the Paperwhite with my right hand and want to turn back a page with the same hand (but without swiping), how does that work? I know there is a slim space on the left side to tap for turning back a page, but that only works for left-handers... I really hope right-handers are not stuck with swiping only...

I thought not including a charger has less to do with the battery life and more to do with how many consumers already have a lot of USB adapters, laptops and other things you can plug a USB cable into, so why would Amazon spend money to include a charger that may be unnecessary?

This is also the reason why the EU mandate microUSB connectors on phones - so that you can have fewer chargers, you don't need one to come with every device and we can save a load of resources. And I note that the Kindle has used microUSB for several generations now, so this is really that plan coming to fruition.

And it's not like they don't sell one if you need it.

This works with the Kindle because it draws little power when charging, so that the normal USB power is enough for it. Generally though USB chargers may seem all the same, but they totally aren't. There are different high-power modes and not all chargers support all (or any) of them. It's a hell of a mess actually and all offering the same USB port doesn't make this easier.

I bought an old Kindle with buttons as a gift recently, not only because it was slightly cheaper, but because it had buttons. If I was getting one for myself, I would like page turn buttons. I read on my iPhone, but it goes in my pocket a lot, so the screen sort of gets cleaned automatically.

I assume (uh oh) that it's not too hard to get external content on it, such as EPUB format eBooks from Baen or other non-Amazon sources; if not, that's a deal breaker. Guess I'll look into it.

I believe the Kindle can't do ePub. However, it's fairly easy to convert with calibre; and then you can email it to your Kindle.

To see how well calibre converts (they're both HTML container formats, but there are subtle differences), you can install the Kindle app on your Nexus 7, convert some of your ePub books, and email them to your Kindle address. If you then buy a physical Kindle, and log it into the same Amazon account, those books should be available immediately.

This is an e-reader. It's not trying to be a tablet, it's not meant to be considered as a competitor to one. I'd prefer a review that treated it the same way.

I read stuff every day on my tablet. It's getting old now and time to buy a new one, I was thinking of buying a kindle instead, now that it can be read at night without a lamp.

But it looks like too much of my reading cannot be done on the kindle, so I'm glad ars compared the two - I'll be buying a new tablet instead of an e-reader.

I understand. All I'm saying is, e-readers and tablets cater to different groups. They're built differently, it makes no sense to compare all its features to a tablet as opposed to competing products of the same line.

I totally disagree with this. I love my e-reader with no backlighting. I have attempted to read on all sorts of tablets, computers, etc. I always get severe eye strain. Until tablets do not cause eye strain, I would never consider them readers at all, except for very short spans of time.

I fully agree, I don't want a tablet with its super bright shiny LCD screen that i cant read in the sun

Sure, it means we use Calibre to cycle books between the Kindle and the Nook... but that is also handy - especially with the wifi plugin for the Nexus (Androids period)... wife can browse our library from anywhere in the house.

That's not really a benefit, just a mitigating measure. I can red my Kindle books anywhere in the world. On my Kindle, on my phone, on my tablet, on any of my computers, on friend's computers, etc. Search for the book, click on it, and it opens to the last page I was on, no matter what device I was using at the time. That's huge. Calibre is great (well, decent) for manually managing an ebook collection, but it's still a hell of a lot more work than letting Amazon do it.

Quote:

Amazon, you know what would make the Kindle platform even better? *

A monthly subscription rate. For the low, low cost of $40** a month, read all the books you want.

It's not that "the publishers wouldn't go for it" as much as it's that there are thousands of independent entities publishing books with individual contracts. Even within one publishing house there's not one big pool of money, like there is with TV/Movies, it's all individual. A subscription model like that just wouldn't work. It would be like getting a "subscription" to the grocery store. All those individual suppliers expect and need to get paid for their products.

If I am holding the Paperwhite with my right hand and want to turn back a page with the same hand (but without swiping), how does that work? I know there is a slim space on the left side to tap for turning back a page, but that only works for left-handers... I really hope right-handers are not stuck with swiping only...

I don't know what handedness has to do with anything, you aren't writing a novel here, you are holding an inanimate object. You either have tap the very left side or swipe to the left. Turning back is rare, so it shouldn't be an issue. The "swipe" doesn't have to be a huge motion, just enough that it can tell what you intend.

Its not a question about "tapping on the screen". Its about finger prints and smudges making the screen less pleasant to read. Touch by its very nature is going to make this a significant problem. And every single time you turn the page you make it worse.

They could easily have kept page turn buttons on the design with any negative impact. For those that do not want to use the buttons, they could even make a software switch to disable them.

But for those of us who want page turn buttons, Amazon has left us in the dust and ignored our valid concerns. We have no alternative choices when it comes to the newer technology now.

The Kindle screen is remarkably fingerprint resistant, much more so than an iPad or iPhone. Short of dipping your fingers in butter, it's nearly impossible to produce a visible smudge. And you don't need to touch the text area to page forward on the right side of the screen (or to page back on the left side of the screen)--a touch in the margin will do it.

I expected to dislike the elimination of physical buttons, but after using the Touch (and now the Paperwhite) for a while, I find it an improvement. Accidental paging is considerably less frequent than with my Kindle 3. It is possible to page forward while holding it in your left hand, but it is slightly less convenient. When holding it right-handed, all it takes is a subtle rocking motion of your thumb so that it touches the very margin of the screen. When holding it left-handed (as I often do), touching in the margin pages back, and you have to reach your thumb over a bit to reach the page-forward zone. This is not difficult, but it feels slightly less convenient as it requires a more definitive motion. I wish there were an option to make any screen tap a page forward, while requiring a left-swipe to page backwards.

How does it stack up agains the Nook Glowlight? I'm a diehard iPad lover/user, but I love the Glowlight for it's portability (fits right in my military cargo pocket!) and the readability in just about any setting.

I assume (uh oh) that it's not too hard to get external content on it, such as EPUB format eBooks from Baen or other non-Amazon sources; if not, that's a deal breaker. Guess I'll look into it.

I believe the Kindle can't do ePub. However, it's fairly easy to convert with calibre; and then you can email it to your Kindle.

To see how well calibre converts (they're both HTML container formats, but there are subtle differences), you can install the Kindle app on your Nexus 7, convert some of your ePub books, and email them to your Kindle address. If you then buy a physical Kindle, and log it into the same Amazon account, those books should be available immediately.

Thanks! Never having owned a Kindle, I forgot about the mail option. Sounds simple enough. If I fall off the fence on this, I'll probably use Calibre. Already looked at it but went with aldiko for my tablet - didn't need conversion functions at the time.

I don't know what handedness has to do with anything, you aren't writing a novel here, you are holding an inanimate object. You either have tap the very left side or swipe to the left. Turning back is rare, so it shouldn't be an issue. The "swipe" doesn't have to be a huge motion, just enough that it can tell what you intend.

Yes, I can easily swipe left with my thumb while holding the Kindle in my right hand. A swipe of less than an inch works fine. It's not as automatic as touch to go forward, but it works just fine. And I go back far less often than I go forward. I'd like to have the option to eliminate the "page back" touch zone altogether and require a left swipe for that function.

I have owned a Kindle since the first version and also have owned iPads from the 1st iteration.

The direction Amazon is pushing the Kindle line is discouraging to say the least. I have no interest in a Fandroid "Kindle" Fire- which is not a real Kindle and would rather lick a toilet than use any eReader with advertising.

I prefer the e-ink Kindle over the iPad for most reading as it is easier on my eyes, has incredible battery life and has a matte screen. Additionally, the fact that Kindle content can be accessed on my Mac's 24" LED Cinema Display is also an attractive feature.

If Amazon decides to drop the real Kindle - matte screen, e-ink, keyboard, no ads- I will stop buying from Amazon.

Can I ask how in the world the "distracting, discolored spots" didn't make it into "The Bad" list? This seems like the single biggest drawback of this otherwise impressive device.

It's probably because despite its shortcomings, it's still the most even and bright lighting of any of the 3 front-lit ereaders. The Nook's light tends to fade the closer you get to the bottom or has a blueish tinge, whereas the Paperwhite's is just white and even. There's really not any real competition out there aside from the Nook Glow, and only because of its physical stores and comparable ebook ecosystem. The Kobo Glo is simply a non-contender.

craziplaya21 wrote:

If I am holding the Paperwhite with my right hand and want to turn back a page with the same hand (but without swiping), how does that work? I know there is a slim space on the left side to tap for turning back a page, but that only works for left-handers... I really hope right-handers are not stuck with swiping only...

If you're holding it with your right hand, you can tap to go foward or swipe to the left to go back...unless of course your thumb is longer than mine. Or you could just you know, use your other hand. Genius move right? Who woulda thought...

Brill wrote:

I just wouldn't buy a tablet with a browser that's monochrome

It's not a tablet. Your point is invalid.

trrll wrote:

Yes, I can easily swipe left with my thumb while holding the Kindle in my right hand. A swipe of less than an inch works fine. It's not as automatic as touch to go forward, but it works just fine. And I go back far less often than I go forward. I'd like to have the option to eliminate the "page back" touch zone altogether and require a left swipe for that function.

It's extremely useful for people like me who like reading from a table or from a flat surface. I can just tap back to go back a page and I've got covers for all my Kindles anyway (Got 3 cats in the house; those buggers sleep on, bite and scratch everything they can) so it's a lot easier to grip one handed.

Wheels Of Confusion wrote:

Isn't either touching a screen or making a swipe across it with a thumb/finger/other hand still easier than turning a physical page anyway?

I was interested that your review mentioned the need to both press the power button and slide onscreen to unlock the Kindle. This must be solely to ensure that you see as many ads as possible. I bought my Paperwhite without ads, and this secondary unlock step does not exist — pressing the power button fully unlocks the Kindle. In fact, since I bought one of Amazon's magnetic covers, which locks the Kindle when the cover is closed, and unlocks it when the cover is opened — I never see the lock screen at all - it's simply ready to go as soon as I open the cover. Frankly, not having this pointless extra step is reason enough to buy it without ads…

Good review, but I would have appreciated hearing about pdf compatibility. I don't think I'm unusual in having lots of pdf files around that I would want to access on an e-reader.

And this being Ars, I'm always interested in seeing how easy it is to take control of devices like this, whether by rooting, reflashing, or simply installing programs of my choice.

You'd be better off shopping for an older DX on ebay. None of the current line of e-ink eReaders work well with PDF due to their smaller size. I've never heard of anyone hacking the software of their kindles (Aside from simple screensaver hacks) since it's not based on Android, and is instead another variant of Linux. Even if you could root and install your own "software", I don't see the point due to the inherent hardware limitations that limits it to reading. You'd still end up with the same product regardless.

I read a ton on my Nook Simple Touch which have physical buttons as well as touch screen controls. Depending on where I'm reading, in what position (sitting, standing, laying in bed), and hell, what sort of mood I'm in, I use all of them. If I'm flat on my back reading before I fall asleep, I just hold the Nook in one hand with the thumb on the forward button. Really simple to operate and just read for, literally, hours. If I'm standing, as I like to read while on a treadmill, I can prop the e-reader down in front of me and operate using the touch screen, swiping or touching the edges (using the hard keys requires more stability than a treadmill stand offers). Sitting in my comfy chair, I can do... well, whatever I feel like that moment and perhaps dependent on if I'm holding a hot beverage in my other hand.

Contrast that to reading on my Kindle Fire (which I do quite a bit of) and I miss the physical button and never use it to read in, say, bed (for a host of other reasons too, like the added weight and LCD/LED displays supposedly being bad for sleep mechanics). While I'm sure I could get used to an e-reader w/no physical buttons, I would prefer one that kept them.

You'd be better off shopping for an older DX on ebay. None of the current line of e-ink eReaders work well with PDF due to their smaller size.

Yeah, I've been hoping that Amazon or one of the other vendors would bring out a hi-res touchscreen reader the size of the DX.

Nouda wrote:

I've never heard of anyone hacking the software of their kindles (Aside from simple screensaver hacks) since it's not based on Android, and is instead another variant of Linux. Even if you could root and install your own "software", I don't see the point due to the inherent hardware limitations that limits it to reading. You'd still end up with the same product regardless.

Good point. I knew that the Fire was Android, and assumed without thinking that the e-ink Kindles were as well. But being able to hack the kindle would possibly allow reading books in other formats, etc.

How does it stack up agains the Nook Glowlight? I'm a diehard iPad lover/user, but I love the Glowlight for it's portability (fits right in my military cargo pocket!) and the readability in just about any setting.

Have mentioned it in previous posts, but I find the Paperwhite's lighting to be superior (light on the bottom instead of the top, and fewer shadows), and the Paperwhite's text is noticeably more crisp. I've read the Glowlight's battery life is longer, but the Paperwhite's seems plenty long, a non-issue for me.

I was interested that your review mentioned the need to both press the power button and slide onscreen to unlock the Kindle. This must be solely to ensure that you see as many ads as possible. I bought my Paperwhite without ads, and this secondary unlock step does not exist — pressing the power button fully unlocks the Kindle. In fact, since I bought one of Amazon's magnetic covers, which locks the Kindle when the cover is closed, and unlocks it when the cover is opened — I never see the lock screen at all - it's simply ready to go as soon as I open the cover. Frankly, not having this pointless extra step is reason enough to buy it without ads…

If you use the Parental Controls feature to turn off the Store, you will no longer have that row of suggested titles on the home screen; instead you will see another row of your own books there.

Now I don't have to figure out how to get rid of them. You are win.

Also, I didn't read through all of the comments, but the light doesn't turn off completely. While I notice it even in an illuminated area, it doesn't bother me. Most people will likely not have an issue with or even notice it.

If I am holding the Paperwhite with my right hand and want to turn back a page with the same hand (but without swiping), how does that work? I know there is a slim space on the left side to tap for turning back a page, but that only works for left-handers... I really hope right-handers are not stuck with swiping only...

I don't know what handedness has to do with anything, you aren't writing a novel here, you are holding an inanimate object. You either have tap the very left side or swipe to the left. Turning back is rare, so it shouldn't be an issue. The "swipe" doesn't have to be a huge motion, just enough that it can tell what you intend.

Why is it that left-handers have the ability to tap one side for turning back and other side for forward, but right-handers don't?

If I recall correctly, the Kindle Touch didn't come with a wall charger either. Such a thing is unnecessary, however, for two reasons. The Kindle's battery life is insane - it lasts something like a thousand page flips, equivalent to a few novels - and anyone who owns a cell phone made in the last few years (other than an iPhone) already has a USB charger that plugs directly into the wall. If you don't have a socket-to-USB adapter, they cost less than $5 anyways.

It'd be nice if they allowed for the customization of the tap zones. Having the page back 'zone' only on the left side imparts a handedness to the device which is somewhat unfortunate. The presence of both a page forward and page backward button on both the left and right edge on Kindles with physical buttons allows them to be used equally well no matter which hand is used to hold it. The same cannot, unfortunately, be said for the touch-centric Kindles. Personally, if I was able to customize these zones, I'd make the outer 1/3 on each side a page forward zone with the inner 1/3 functioning as the much less often (for me) used page back. Ideally, I'd prefer customizable zones in addition to physical page turn buttons.

I took delivery of my Paperwhite yesterday. My keyboarded Kindle 3G has provided excellent service over the years.

I'm excessively anal about fingerprints and so was concerned about the loss of page turn buttons, but as other commentators have said, it doesn't seem to be an issue here. The screen is matte, and fingerprints really don't show. Ergonomically, tapping the screen with my thumb to initiate a page turn is fine and doesn't detract from the reading process.

What's more of an issue is the quality of the front-lighting. The blotchiness at the bottom of the screen is a problem; it's very apparent when you're reading under dim lighting conditions, and can be quite distracting. Turning the front light down as low as possible mitigates this to some extent, but doesn't remove it.

The problem isn't noticeable when using the device in daylight.

To be honest, I'm somewhat disappointed; Amazon needs to work on the lighting.

It's probably because despite its shortcomings, it's still the most even and bright lighting of any of the 3 front-lit ereaders. [...]The Kobo Glo is simply a non-contender.

For those of us outside of the USA, the Kobo Glo *is* a real contender. From what I've seen its lighting is also better than that of the Kindle unit Ars reviewed.

Looking forward to an Arstechnica e-reader shootout.

Not really. Aside from Australia the Kindle and Nook is still far more popular, and even there I barely saw any Kobo users (2-3 vs a single Kindle 4) while I was down there, and despite them not having worldwide coverage people still manage to import them from the US via 3rd party resellers. The Sony eReaders are so exorbitantly expensive for the basic versions ($180 at Target!) that no one in the right minds actually goes for them.

It's probably because despite its shortcomings, it's still the most even and bright lighting of any of the 3 front-lit ereaders. [...]The Kobo Glo is simply a non-contender.

For those of us outside of the USA, the Kobo Glo *is* a real contender. From what I've seen its lighting is also better than that of the Kindle unit Ars reviewed.

Looking forward to an Arstechnica e-reader shootout.

Not really. Aside from Australia the Kindle and Nook is still far more popular, and even there I barely saw any Kobo users (2-3 vs a single Kindle 4) while I was down there, and despite them not having worldwide coverage people still manage to import them from the US via 3rd party resellers. The Sony eReaders are so exorbitantly expensive for the basic versions ($180 at Target!) that no one in the right minds actually goes for them.

Been to Canada lately?

Kobos are pretty much the only e-readers I see around here. The support is fantastic (through Chapters/Indigo stores), and kobobooks.com often has better prices for Canadians than Amazon. I know, I know, the Canadian market is tiny... but I would argue that Kobo is not only a contender in Canada, it's probably the strongest contender.